


cheat codes

by graciewrites



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies), The Hunger Games (Movies) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Clove is a famous writer and Cato is the subject, Los Angeles, Multi, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Streamer AU, This is pure crack, cato and clove are both stubborn as hell, gale Hawthorne is a douchebag, i hope i actually finish this fucking thing, more tags to come folks, shoutout peetas buns, the hunger games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:09:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22948342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graciewrites/pseuds/graciewrites
Summary: when popular streamer, cato rauls, gets accused of cheating in the wildly successful game: the hunger games, clove rivers, a writer for “the hob” magazine, conjures up a plan to put his reputation back on track. the only problem is, she cant decided if its the world she's trying to convince he's a good guy, or herself.
Relationships: Cato & Clove (Hunger Games), Cato/Clove (Hunger Games), Clove/Gale Hawthorne, Glimmer/Foxface (Hunger Games)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	cheat codes

**Author's Note:**

> well, well, well what do we have here? yes the rumors are true, tis i, you’re local clato crackhead with yet another fic that she hopes will have a final chapter at some point and will NOT be “on hold” for months on end….. 
> 
> in all seriousness, its taken me a long time to perfect this story because i really do want to give you guys content. it’s been in my drafts for over four years now and the fact that it’s seeing the light of day is entirely both twitter and instagrams fault… and maybe my own as well. 
> 
> i do wanna apologize for this because first chapters are always so rough for me to start and im *proud* of myself for getting this done even if it took eight tries. so, with that being said, i hope you all enjoy this fic. it’s full of angst, slow burn, and i know for a fact some of y’all might strangle me when you read a certain character and a certain character. i also want you all to note the rating on this fic is mature because its a mature fic (lmao) so pls,,, if you are uncomfortable with sexual content, swearing and more mature stuff… i would suggest finding something more up your alley (footprints in the snow on my page is a great alternative and its clato! uwu). 
> 
> but i digress. please leave comments if you enjoyed this at all, it lets me know i am doing something you all like (*insert bernie sanders meme here*) and gives me motivation to keep updating. for behind the scenes on this fic, i highly suggest checking out my twitter @sithclove and my instagram thats also @sithclove. (im a simple person). 
> 
> playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/21Vohx2aZGuod51eAZogbt?si=gUoVAsBOQIaI8l-hytVwfA
> 
> thank you for reading and may the odds be ever in your favor. 
> 
> -grace xx

Before Twitch streams, there were YouTube videos. Now, however, more than ever, people are recording themselves live and in action while hundreds, if not thousands of people watch. This of course, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, for the gaming industry, it’s one of the best things to hit mainstream media. But for people like Clove who have to sit at their desks for hours at a time, scrolling through countless videos of obnoxious streamers yelling into their mics whenever they die in a game over and over again, it’s tedious and, in Clove’s humble opinion, a crime. 

Although, the best part about it all is that some of the streamers - yes, even the ones that yell into their mics - get paid to do what they do. A job that people like Clove, again, consider one of the easiest jobs in the world. And probably one of the most fun too. 

Of course, Clove can’t _totally_ complain. She’s got a pretty great job as well. If it wasn’t for the fact that the deadlines often made her want to rip off her hair, she would even consider it one of the best jobs in the world. Not to mention Coin, the owner of the company, is one of the best bosses she’s ever worked for. 

Looking up from her laptop that’s been playing videos for far too long now, Clove glances around her office in hopes of finding some motivation to keep her going. _I have my own office too,_ Clove thinks to herself, _mark that down_ **_streamers._ **

“Wait,” she says, “streamers have offices, you idiot.” 

“What?”

Clove’s skin jumps as she whips her head to face the door where Madge has just made her way in, “You scared the shit out of me.” 

“I’m not the one talking to myself.” 

Clove gives her a playful look, “I’m working on an article. Needed to think out loud, ya know?” 

“Mhm,” Madge hums, a small smirk growing on her lips. 

“Whatever. What’s up?” 

Madge sets down a pile of papers on her desk and takes a deep breath. Her eyebrows raise just a bit before meeting Clove’s eye, “Comments on my article about the Overwatch League. All overly positive.” 

Clove glances at the papers before leaning back in her seat, “So, you came here to gloat?” 

Madge crosses her arms, “Maybe. _So_?” 

Clove chuckles, “I’m just giving you shit, Madge. This is good.” She picks up one of the papers and scans it slowly. She’s right, that’s for sure. Most of the comments are flooded with positivity and for a community that tends to be downright toxic, it’s shocking. Clove gives her a hopeful smile, “They must really like you, huh? This is great news.” 

“I know right? So many past articles have been… well, for lack of better terms-” 

“A disaster?”

“Exactly.” Madge points a finger at her and nods, “I guess the League is working. To bring the community together, I mean.” 

“Probably. Nothing like a huge competition that others can banter about instead of screaming at you for not playing a healer.” 

Madge snorts, “Or a tank.” 

“That too.” Clove looks back up at her and sets the paper down, “Anything else?” 

“Oh, Coin wanted me to let you know that Annie is going to be joining you on the E3 Expo trip this weekend. I would talk to her - Coin, more about it though. I’m just the messenger.”

“Why Annie? I thought I was just doing a simple interview?” 

Madge shrugs, “I’m just the messenger.” 

“Right,” Clove sighs, “okay, thank you.” 

“Course.” Madge picks up the papers, “One more thing. Gale wants to know if you’d be down to get drinks with us tonight at Rosebud.” 

“Sure. I can do that.” 

“I’ll let Gale know.” Mage smirks. 

Clove flips her off and she laughs, twirling her fingers around in a wave as she leaves the office. 

Closing the laptop in front of her, Clove lets out a deep breath then spins around in her chair to face the window behind her. It’s not a particularly nice day in Los Angeles. Clouds threatening to spill rain that the city desperately needs, but the people are so scared of. _At least I remembered an umbrella_ , Clove thinks to herself; because as much as she would hate to admit it, she’s a little scared of the rain too. 

The view from her office is one of the best because it’s the only window that doesn't face another large skyscraper. Instead of concrete, she can see mountains kissing the sky and endless fields of brush. There’s been a couple times where she thought of rearranging her desk to face the window, but the sun in the morning is too bright in her eyes and it’s the best time she feels the most inspired to write anything. Especially lately with all the articles in her drafts.

Coin says that it’s good they have so many deadlines to meet, but the constant stress and sleepless nights would say otherwise. It’s not that Clove isn’t used to this by now, it’s just that this Summer has been one of the busiest they’ve had since she’s started here. So many games are announcing new patches or seasons, new consoles are being revealed, popular streamers are making their debut in marketing, the E3 Expo is this weekend, San Diego Comic Con is in July… the list never ends. And, who’s in charge of making sure the team is on top of writing about it all?

Yup, you guessed it: Clove. 

She’s been editor-in-chief for about a year now after getting promoted shortly after Madge got hired as her last position, Managing Editor. Effie, the woman who had her job before, left for a fashion job in New York which caused Coin to quickly find someone to replace her. Since Clove was the only one with the most experience in the office, she granted her the spot. It’s not any less stressful as the last job; just a little more responsibility and traveling. Coin says she’s doing a great job, but often times Clove feels as though she’s doing the bare minimum to get by - even though she’s also giving it her all.

Many people think that working for a magazine is all glamour and gold but in reality, it’s none of those things. Sure, you get to travel to cool places and meet incredibly famous people, but at the end of the day you still get left with that old burnt out feeling. Not to mention, the rent in LA leaves your paycheck screaming for more cash. 

As privileged as Clove knows she is to have those opportunities at her doorstep, being a woman in a male dominated profession when it comes to video games in particular - on top of having to write about them - is not an easy task. Constantly trying to prove to the community that you do, in fact know what you’re talking about, is _exhausting._

 _The Hob_ is one of the most well-known gaming magazines across the globe. Coin started the company when she was in her thirties, writing small articles in her town's newspaper about the new Nintendo. She named her section of the paper _The Hob_ , after a place her parents used to take her all the time as a child to find comic books. 

The company didn't start to skyrocket until Coin met Snow, who was working on the famous game _Zelda_ at the time, during some convention. When Snow presented her with an idea to write an article about the game, Coin’s name (which is really Alma), was spread across the globe like wildfire and companies began racing against the clock to get their games on the same platform Snow had. When Coin gained enough traction, she started up her own small magazine company and since then she’s branded herself as the most successful woman in video game history.

So, of course, that’s why making your mark at the office is so important. Working here is not only a privilege, but also a huge honor. 

Clove was hired directly out of college. It wasn’t by total luck, though. 

Growing up, her dad has always worked for EA or Electronic Arts. One of the biggest gaming companies in the world - producing games like; Battlefront, Madden, FIFA, and, Clove’s personal favorite, The Sims. Part of the reason why she got so into video games to begin with, was because of her dad. He would often bring home a free copy of a game or a trial of a game and allow Clove to “BETA test it”. So it became second nature for her to talk about them and even easier to write about them. 

Before her mom passed away, she would let Clove watch her play Sims. Starting with the very first game to the second installment of the franchise: The Sims 2. When they had gotten the news that her mother was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, Clove’s will to touch the game (or anything for that matter) was scarce. And when she passed away, everything became more of a nuisance and Clove found herself sheltering a lot of those memories in hopes she would be able to grieve better. That maybe, if she stopped playing Sims or doing things she normally did with her mother, it would make her feel better because it didn't remind Clove that she was gone; those memories just ceased to exist completely. 

Of course, it never helped, and eventually Clove realized that the only way to make herself feel like somehow her mother was still with her; she had to do the things they would do together, _alone_. She had to keep those moments _alive_ and turn the anger she had towards the world into motivation to say, “you taking my mom away from me isn't going to stop me honoring her legacy.”

Since Clove’s mom was always so incredibly supportive of her dad and was one of the biggest “BETA testers” he trusted (other than Clove), Clove began to take her own role a bit more seriously. Even though, at the time, she was only 14. Whenever he brought home a new game, Clove would play everything through and through, whilst taking notes and jotting down more ideas. Her dad loved it, at least she assumed he did - because by the time she was 16, he had granted her the title of a “lowkey” EA game changer. 

That title carried all the way through high school, but by the time she hit college, it became official. Clove started writing articles for The Sims Community, made a couple YouTube videos reviewing certain games, and attended a couple Sims Camps.

So, when she graduated from the University of Los Angeles with a degree in Television, Film, and New Media - she had two feet in a door _flooded_ with possibilities. The only dilemma was that her dad had already talked to Coin about giving her a position at the company. She was only 22 at the time and unlike the other people in the office, had never written for something with such a large scale. It was intimidating at first, working with an eclectic group of writers, but Clove gradually began to feel more at home. By the time she was 24, Coin promoted her to Managing Editor and that’s about when Clove started to feel a lot more confident in herself, too. 

Now, as a 26-year-old leading an entire branch of talented writers, she doesn’t feel like an odd man out as much as before. Clove even makes it her duty to make sure any interns or newcomers feel much more welcome than she did at the time of her arrival. 

For an example, when Madge joined, she was in her last year of college and was hired as a paid intern. That was the same year they were swamped with articles and due dates and since Coin was always too busy with interviews and meetings, she couldn't give Madge the help or advice she needed. Which meant that often times, Madge was left doing things like; getting coffee, organizing folders, and cleaning around the office. The typical intern work that everyone hated doing and Clove felt bad about it. 

So, the day Clove caught Madge face deep in a pile of papers, flooded with words upon words, she couldn't help but be nosey. Peaking over the girls shoulder only slightly before Madge shifted in her seat to catch Clove’s eye. Madge’s cheeks grew red immediately, Clove remembers, before she covered the papers with her arms nonchalantly. 

_“What was that?” Clove asked, tipping her head to the side._

_“Just stuff.” Madge glanced at her papers, “For school.”_

_“Do you need anyone to proofread?”_

_Madge hesitated and Clove watched the gears in her brain turn before she nodded, “If it’s not too much of a hassle, that would be awesome.”_

The paper Madge was writing was a piece for her college's newspaper and out of all the things she had to write about, Madge had chosen to write about _The Hob_ . It was a good piece, to be honest. She talked about Clove and Coin with praising words - which made Clove feel good. Madge described the workplace as an episode of _The Office_ because there was normally something new happening everyday, but Coin always managed to make it fun. 

From then on, whenever Madge needed someone to read her work over, Clove was the first one she would turn to. And eventually, Clove presented the idea of turning Madge into a writer to Coin - who loved the idea. So, after Madge graduated college, she had already scored a job at the biggest gaming magazine in the world. 

Over the years the two became much closer. Out of everyone in the office, Madge is the only one Clove considers a close friend. Madge wasn’t loud or a major extrovert, which was a huge relief for Clove - who preferred her Saturday nights stuck inside with a bottle of wine. However, Madge did enjoy getting out every now and then, dragging Clove along as often as she possibly could. Clove never cared too much about her persistence, granted Madge was a few years younger than Clove. It was more of a sister relationship with her and if Madge dyed her hair dark, Clove was almost positive they _could_ be sisters. She had the same face as her, including the green eyes. If it weren’t for the many freckles Clove had scattered across her skin like someone had dropped a jar of pepper on her face, they could have been identical - if you squinted. 

There were others in the office Clove was close with too; like Gale, for an example. But Gale wasn’t a relationship she talked about often. Even though almost everyone in the office knew _something_ was going on. It was mainly his fault, if anything. He was a touchy, gawky, too-loud-of-a-talker person. 

It was an accident, the night she stripped to nothing in her bedroom in front of him. At least _she_ says it was. In reality, her stomach was turning with so much excitement, Clove knew it was anything _but_ an accident - and she knew Gale felt the same way. 

Especially when it kept happening. 

_A lot._

Clove couldn’t help it. He was an attractive guy and his charm always made her skin feel super sticky. Plus, he knew what made her knees weak and also what made her cum. He was the only guy to get her to actually finish without her having to touch herself at _all_. She had told him that once; he still gloats about it every now and then to her whenever they’re done. 

The only thing Clove never liked about Gale, was his ability to throw a lot of people under the bus for no particular reason other than to get something he wanted. And because _everyone_ believes a man, he was normally _always_ proven to be in the right. Clove never brings it up to him, though. Scared that some day, he might end up throwing her under the bus too. 

She couldnt help but admit that the sex was sometimes just a way of saying, _“Hey, I made you cum. You can’t go behind_ **_my_ ** _back.”_

Annie, however, is not afraid of sticking it to him and Clove _loves_ her for it. 

Annie is much older than Clove. Closer to her forties, but looks not a day over 25. She was hired at the same time Gale was for the position of the leading photographer. Right off the bat, she was proven to be a force to be reckoned with, although she comes off as a soft, flowery kind of person. You can just tell she’s full of wisdom and courage, the way she carries herself through the office. If Annie was a little bit younger, she’s sure she’d have an easier time trying to work up a friendship. But outside of work, even on the days she’d tag along for drinks with the group, she was stiff and well-rounded. Almost as if she was too afraid to let the puppet strings loose.

One of these days, Clove would get her to crack. Maybe even at the convention this weekend. Which reminded Clove had yet to grab the papers from Coin - who, by now, was probably wondering what was taking so long. 

Clove rose from her chair and glanced around her office before stepping out into the hallway. Clicks of keyboards echoed through the room as she ventured towards Coin’s office, who was stationed on the left side of the building. She sent a small wave to Annie who peaked a bit over her cubicle with a smile before stepping behind a wall, into Coin’s office. 

She held up a finger at Clove when she entered, then gestured towards the phone on her desk. Clove took that as her cue to sit down comfortably and wait a few moments until the phone call ended with a click and Coin sent her a warm smile. 

“You made it,” Coin said. “I have some things for you.” 

“So I’ve heard. I also heard… Annie is coming with me?” 

“Ah, yes.” Coin nodded, leaning back in her seat. “I thought it would be easier for you to go back and revisit the interview if we had someone record it. I also want Annie to interview some cosplayers while you’re there and maybe get some cool shots of the area.” 

“Oh, okay. That’s fine.” Clove crossed a leg over her knee, “Madge also said you had some stuff I had to grab?” 

Coin leant forwards and grabbed the folder off the wood, “Everything you need is in there. Badges, parking passes, maps. Everything.” 

“Thank you.” Clove reached across the desk and grabbed the folder from her. “And… it’s Cato Rauls, right?” 

“Yes, you will be interviewing him after some huge announcement they do about that… one game. What’s it called again?” Coin snapped her fingers, head tilted in thought. 

“The Hunger Games?” 

“Yes!” Coin pointed at her, “That one. After that announcement, head backstage to find Mr. Rauls. He should be waiting for you with his PR team.” 

“Sounds good.” 

“Are you excited?” 

Clove shrugged, “It’s work.” 

Coin gave her a playful wink, “Work is fun.” 

“I’ve only ever heard of Cato a few times. Seen his face plastered on billboards for ads around the city. Have you ever met him?” Clove flipped through the folder as Coin rested back in her seat. 

“I’ve never personally met him, no. But I’ve heard… things.” 

“Oh?” Clove’s gaze flicked up to her for a second, “What kind of _things_?” 

“He’s a popular streamer… you know how those kinds of people tend to get.” 

That was true. Clove had to interview Ninja, the famous streamer, once and she felt like her head was going to pop off every time he started talking. He was not a bad guy by any means - at least not to her - but he was arrogant in his answers. 

“I do.” Clove finally answered, standing. “Thank you again for all of this.” 

“No problem, love.” Coin smiled, “Just get here early Saturday so we can get everything situated. Then you and Annie can head out.” 

“How does eight sound?” 

“Eight is perfect. You can leave here by nine. The drive isn't too far, but traffic might be brutal.” Coin raised her coffee mug to her lips slowly. Drawing out a sip before licking the extra off her lips, “Just drive carefully, regardless.” 

“I will.” Clove smiled, “I’ll see you later.” 

“Course. Let me know if you need anything.” 

Clove nodded then made her way back out of the office. Her fingers found the pages of the folder again and she flipped it open, eyes scanning across the material ahead of her. 

Coin was always well prepared. It was something Clove was very grateful for and sure enough, everything was there; passes, lanyards, extra credit cards, maps, and a little note with _‘good luck!’_ written on it. That put a smile on her face, before she closed the folder and entered her office again. The sun was starting to set and Clove watched the cars below her get to their destinations before she sat down and began writing out questions for Cato. 

***

Rosebud was the only bar in L.A. Clove genuinely enjoyed. The beer on tap was good, the prices weren’t sucking you dry, and the people were always friendly - something you often did not find this deep in the city. On top of it all, the music they played was the good oldies her father often had on in the car and the people never seemed to mind that she would always show up in her work clothes. Not that her work clothes weren’t bar friendly, she just looked a little _too_ professional sometimes. 

She was seated across from Madge at the booth closest to the dart board that Gale always liked to claim early in the night. Her fingers were sore from typing and the caffeine she lacked was starting to give her a pounding headache. It didn't help that Gale’s voice boomed through her head as he set down three glasses on their table. 

“Cheers!” Gale smiled, holding up his pint of beer. 

Madge chuckled and clinked her dainty Martini glass against his before taking a sip. Clove only clinked after she was done huffing about Gale’s scene. 

“So,” Gale said, sliding into the booth next to her, “you excited about E3?” 

Clove shrugged a shoulder and ran a finger gently across the top of her glass. She normally was excited for conventions, but something about this one sent anxiety through her bones. There were too many things she needed to keep track of, “I guess. Just a lot on my plate.” 

“You’re going to do great.” Madge smiled, patting Clove’s arm lightly, “You always do, honestly.” 

Clove chuckled, “Thanks, Madge.” 

She hummed before taking a sip of her drink. Clove diverted her eyes towards the table when she felt Gale rest his hand on her thigh. It was a good thing she was wearing pants today, because she could already feel the heat between her legs spread as he squeezed lightly, taking a sip of his beer in the process. 

Madge knew the two have had sex before, but she didn't know they did as often as they did. Typically, they would wait until Madge called it a night and headed home to leave together. But tonight, Clove wanted to do differently. She was so _stressed_ from work, so tired, so sore… all she wanted was Gale to take her to the bedroom and fuck all her shit away. 

Clove knew she couldn't have it that way. So, throughout the night she sipped the same beer until it was piss warm, laughed at jokes Madge would tell, occasionally shifted her leg to brush against Gale’s, and when Madge finally said goodnight at ten, Clove counted her blessings. The second the bar door shut with Madge’s pretty blonde hair behind it, she was already reaching for her keys and Gale was right behind her. 

It was a short drive from the bar to his apartment complex, located just a few blocks out of the main city. She had the drive memorized in case Gale got lost in the cluster of cars while leading her there. His place wasn’t dirty, but it wasn’t _clean_ either. He had dishes laying around every once and awhile, dirty clothes scattered throughout the house. But none of that mattered as long as she ended up in his room. 

And of course, she did. Reaching up to pull his face down to hers so she could kiss him. His lips tasted like the whiskey shot he took before they left and his muscles twitched under her touch. Clove was so eager to get to it, she threw off her clothes and practically _begged_ the man to touch her.

It was the same routine, the same positions, the same moans - but they both liked it. And when they were done, sweaty, laying in his bed, he turned to face her and smirked, “Heard you gotta interview Cato Rauls.” 

Clove almost snorted, “And?” 

Gale ran a finger across her lips, “Good luck.” 

“Everyone keeps saying that.” Clove glanced at his hand when he lowered it from her face. She watched him carefully as he stood up, “Do you know him well?” 

“I’ve met him once. When I went to college with him.” 

“Wait, really?” Clove sat up, pulling the blanket over her bare chest. It was the least favorite part she liked about Gale’s place: she was always _too_ cold. 

“We had one class together that only met once every two weeks. It was some… weird, writing class. I don't know. I hardly remember it because it was so fucking useless.” Gale glanced at her over his shoulder as he slid on a pair of boxers, “Anyways, yeah. He was there. Kind of a douchebag. Acted like a know it all.” 

_Go figure_ , Clove thought.

Gale continued, “We had to do a project once and some kid got sick and he got pissed off at him for not completing his part in the project so we didn't get as good of a grade. That was the _last_ time I tried talking to him.” 

Just as Clove suspected, Cato wasn’t the guy people always imagined him to be. That wasn’t a surprise. To be fair, she was more interested in Gale going to school with him, “What… else did he do? What was he like?” 

Gale turned to face her and smirked, sliding up back onto the bed so he could loom over her. He started kissing her neck, and Clove forgot she had asked about Cato in the first place. And when his hand slid under the blanket completely, causing her to gasp when he rubbed against her slowly - she forgot what Cato’s name was to begin with. 

***

It was far too late and he was _tired_. 

He’d been at the shoot for nearly eight hours and still hadn’t caught a moment to get something to eat. The patience he had was wearing thin. Especially towards his PR agent, Haymitch, who had found himself a flask hidden in his to-go bag. 

“Are we done yet?” Cato asked, running a hand through his gelled hair. 

The photographer pursed her lips, “Almost. We just need a few more portraits for the convention badges.” 

_The convention badges? Isn’t that shit this weekend?_ Cato thought, leaning his head back against the couch he was sitting on.

Haymitch chuckled, “Christ kid, try to look a bit pleased, yeah?” 

“It’s one in the morning.” Cato snapped, closing his eyes. 

“And this is your _job_.” Haymitch snapped back. “Ease up.” 

The photographer tilted her head, “It’s just a quick shot and then you can head out. I do apologize for keeping you so late. If I had known-” 

Cato raised a hand slowly and stood. The woman craned her neck up slightly to look at him and he gave her a tired smile, “It’s okay. It’s not your fault the equipment failed. Sorry for being crabby. I’m ready to take the photo.” 

The photographer smiled and motioned towards a stool where Cato plopped himself down. She gave him some cue’s on how to tilt his head, then snapped a few photos before giving him a thumbs up, “All done. Free to go.” 

_Thank God,_ Cato sighed. The woman set down her camera and turned to face him as he approached her, a hand reached out for a shake. She obliged, her hand warm from holding the camera, and he smiled more, “Thanks again.” 

“No problem.” She smiled more too. Cato even noticed her cheeks turn pink. It was cute, _she_ was cute. He was also tired and needed to eat.

Haymitch rose from his folding chair and outstretched his arms, “Was that so hard?”

“A little.” Cato gave him a wary look then rubbed the back of his neck. “We all set to go?” 

“Yeah, the driver should be out front. I let him know ahead of time.” Haymitch nodded. 

“Awesome.” 

This wasn’t an unusual night for Cato, other than how late the photoshoot went. Normally he was out by at least ten so he could go home and play a random game of Overwatch and finish a can of beer. He knew tomorrow morning when he woke up for the gym, it was going to hit him hard. But, it was routine and he liked routines - so long as he had a chance to have freedom, too. 

When the black SUV pulled up in front of the building, Haymitch crawled in first, letting out a deep breath as he pushed his seat back. Cato followed short in pursuit, buckling up and leaning his weight against the door. The driver began to go and Cato watched the lights of the city flash by. He was tempted to try and fall asleep, but Haymitch had other plans. Kicking his calf lightly and letting out a disgruntled sound. 

“Ah, fuck, I totally forgot to tell you.” Haymitch sat up his chair and pushed some of his greasy, long hair out of his face, “After you do that announcement at E3 with Snow, some chick is going to be interviewing you.” 

Cato scrunched his nose up at the word _chick_. Haymith was never very good at addressing women properly, “What?” 

“Yeah, I forgot her name. But she works for The Hob. You know, that big magazine? They want to do a piece on you on top of some Hunger Games stuff.” Haymitch pushed his chair back again. “I can give you more information the day of the convention. I’m too tired to remember anything now.” 

Cato nodded, even though Haymitch was no longer looking at him. He knew of The Hob, and had seen their magazines on stands at bookstores and game shops. He also knew that they were one of the worlds _biggest_ gaming magazines across the globe. So, the fact that they wanted to interview him, excited him a bit. 

Cato dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone, squinting at the brightness until he dimmed it a bit. His finger tapped Instagram then typed _The Hob_ into the search bar until the blue check mark appeared. Their feed wasn’t anything fancy. Just a few screenshots from their website, a few professional photos, and a couple videos of interviews with celebrities. He kept scrolling, trying to find any information on who might be interviewing him.

Finally, he paused on a photo where a girl with dark, long, brown hair, dressed in a pair of high-waisted white pants and a yellow blouse was posed, holding a plaque that read _‘over one billion copies sold’_. His finger pressed down on _read more_ where he found the girls username and tapped on that next. He was met with more photos of the girl and she was easily one of the prettiest he had ever seen. Her username was _cloverivers_ and her bio told him she was the editor-in-chief of the company. 

_Huh,_ he thought, _she’s cute_ **_and_ ** _smart._

Cato scrolled through her account slowly, making sure he didn't accidentally like any of her photos. (It had happened once before, and that interview was _very_ awkward.) For a writer of a big company, her Instagram was very… _normal._ There weren't a lot of ads, photoshoot photos, or even selfies posted on her account. It almost felt a little _too_ personal for him, so he swiped up on his phone and quit the app before locking it and tucking it back into his jean pocket. 

Haymitch made a snoring sound and Cato knew he was out cold, so when the driver stopped in front of his apartment a few minutes later - he didn’t bother saying goodnight.

***

If there was anything Cato was thankful for, it was his apartment. 

It was located at the very top of a nice high-rise, just west of the city. He couldn't see the ocean, sadly, but he could see the mountains and that was better than the concerte. Cato also kept his place clean, since a mess stressed him out and he already had enough shit to deal with in his life - a messy house wasn’t about to be another brick on his shoulder.

Cato kicked off his shoes at the door and wandered into his kitchen where he grabbed a bottle of water and an apple. He probably should eat more, but sleeping was hard on a full stomach and he didn't want the energy to kick in this late at night. So, he plopped down on his couch cracked open the bottle, chugged half of it, took a bite of his apple, then passed out. 

He only regretted falling asleep there when he woke up at nine am with a cramped neck and water spilled all over the table. 

Oh, and the now brown apple in his lap. 

**Author's Note:**

> hi again, thanks for reading. also idk how to end this so here we are lmfaosdjflkdjfsf


End file.
